Holy Apostles Church, Charlton Kings
Holy Apostles Church (Note: see separate note, as the marker on the map is entirely wrong),
London Road,
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire, GL52 6HW
Holy Apostles is the only Anglican church to be so named. Its masonry work includes medallions representing the Twelve Apostles, as they were…
Church, one of five in Cheltenham designed by John Middleton; funded by landowner Charles Cooke Higgs, built 1865-71. Main architectural feature is the range and quality of the masonry. Links with the Liddell family and Alice of looking-glass fame.
Holy Apostles is the only Anglican church to be so named. Its masonry work includes medallions representing the Twelve Apostles, as they were after Matthias had replaced the disgraced Judas Iscariot. Also represented in stone, at each side of the nave windows, are the heads of 22 people, most of them linked with the Reformation period. Who made the selection is not known, but what we do know about Charles Cooke Higgs (who paid for it all) indicates that he would certainly have played a major part in drawing up the list. The information sheets give details.
Also recorded in stone is the name of the donor of the font, the Revd Henry George Liddell, a local resident whose surname is now remembered as a result of a visit in 1863 by his grand-daughter Alice, and her encounter there with a looking-glass. Another visitor to the house used that encounter as the basis for a book, 'Alice through the Looking-Glass', as explained in the information sheet on this subject which will be available to visitors - and will in this case be arranged to attract the interest of younger visitors.
In 1970 the church suffered major damage by fire. The principal areas affected were the entire roof, which had to be replaced, and at the east (i.e. front) end, where the limits of the new masonry can be distinguished. Otherwise, the interior has been reordered so as to meet current needs, but is otherwise little changed. Externally, the main recent change is to the much improved and extended hall.
Opening Times
- Fri 14 Sept: 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. (1400 to 1700)
- Sat 15 Sept: 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. (1000 to 1300)
Booking Details:
No booking required
Access Information:
There is a wheelchair entry, with a slope up when going in, between the car park and the main entrance. However, this would be awkward without help, so if you are on your own, attract attention at the main door which should be wide open. If you are accompanied, your companion should ask for help at the main door. If you are planning ahead, please feel free to contact the church via its website - just search on 'holy apostles' or use the church website address below.
Additional information:
Visitors are welcome to look at the Church Hall, originally built in 1924, redesigned and extended in 2017. Please ask first at the church.
Directions:
Follow the main A40 London Road until you come to a traffic light junction with a right fork to Cirencester: do not take this, but continue on the A40 for a very short distance and you will see the church on the right. Go past this, and the next building is the church hall. The first entrance to the car park is its vehicle exit lane (clearly marked as 'no entry'), and so you should go past this to the next turn right. Should the park prove to be full, first look from the footway to see if there is a roadside space before you would reach the traffic lights, and if not then exit with a right turn (i.e. in the London direction), and you should find free spaces at the roadside. From the car park there will be signs towards the main entrance to the church. If wheelchair entry is needed, please ask first at this entrance.
Opening times & full details ►
